Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I use roughly one jar (4 oz.) of Fleischman's yeast every month baking bread for my household and for friends. At nearly $7.00 a jar at the grocery store I was wondering if there might not be a less expensive alternative. It isn't that $7.00 is a lot of money but for 4 ounces of product it seemed to be a bit exorbitant, so I looked around our local grocery stores only to find that not only were there just two brands to choose from in our small town but some of the options were even more expensive, such as buying in packets. That's all well and good for those who bake bread for holidays or just occasionally but bread is a staple in our household. I found this product here at Amazon and was at first a bit reluctant to try any other brand besides that which I've used for years and years with success but I decided that taking a chance may pay off and just to sweeten the chance of a good outcome I bought the 'premium' version. I've used the product now, baking three loaves of whole wheat bread. I couldn't be more pleased with the results. The first rise took just over half the usual time and the second rise had my dough doubling at half the time I am accustomed to. The third and final rise took much less time than usual as well. I allow my bread to rise at least three times when I have the time because I think it develops the flavor of the ingredients, including the yeast, much more and the end product is more flavorful with a much better texture. The first thing I noticed was that the aroma was different than with my usual yeast, next I noticed that the crumb was finer and that the texture was chewier, which is one of the things I look for in homemade bread. I have to wonder if the particular strain of yeast is somehow different from my usual brand but that may be unlikely since, as far as I know, baking yeast is basically the same strain from brand to brand. If anyone has any insight into the subject I'd like to hear what he or she have to say. It seems to me, on the other hand, the strain may be different because of its place of manufacture, so who knows what the lineage of that particular brand may be. All I know at this point is that the previously mentioned characteristics of aroma etc are actually an improvement over what I'm accustomed to. I hope that these characteristics aren't just my imagination and will be carried through over time in all the bread I bake in the future.